Dragon's Fire
by Aerle
Summary: To Sir Shanks, it sounded like a good deal: slaying a dragon and marrying a maiden, whilst proving that he was just as good a knight like the famous Sir Benn. Contribution for the Share-the-love-month. Based on Arthurian literature.


_My final contribution and at the same time the final fic for the Share-the-love-month, hosted by MyLadyDay and yours truly on Tumblr. Thanks to MyadyDay for beta reading and for suggesting the title._

_This story is based on Arthurian legends from the Middle Ages. The numbers between brackets refer to words you might not know, the astrisk's to events from actual stories._

_For those of you who know their Arthurian legend, Mihawk is Arthur, Makino Guinevere, Shanks is based on the character of Kai (though more likable) and Benn is based on Gawain (though here he will be the king's cousin instead of his nephew)._

* * *

One day, King Mihawk was holding court with all of his knights present. They drank and made merry, food was generously distributed amongst the knights and damsels. Next to the king sat his queen, the beautiful Makino, and at his left hand his trusted seneschal (1) and foster brother, Sir Shanks, was seated. His cousin, the bravest knight in all the land, was sitting on the other side of the queen. Sir Benn was known for his bravery and prowess, many a lady swooned at hearing his name. Yet he remained unmarried. Along with the knights closest to the king's heart, they were seated on a platform, looking out over their loyal subjects.

It was then that a messenger made himself known, a cold breeze following him from the cold hallways. It was winter and snowing outside, but no one in the hall had been cold thanks to the many fires that heated the room.

"My lord!" The messenger bowed before his king. "There is a lady here to see you. She seems to have been travelling for a long time."

"What did she say?" the king inquired.

"She will only talk to you, Your Highness."

Mihawk felt his hand being taken by his wife, her kind heart already worrying over their cold, and no doubt hungry, visitor. "Send her in."

The messenger bowed again and left the room, only to return a few minutes later, followed by a woman wearing a mantle, her face covered by the wide and wet hood. When she approached the king, she made a curtsy, letting the hood slide off her head. Ebony hair, though drenched, fell over her shoulders as she lifted her dark green eyes to the king and his company in front of her. "My lord," she began. "My name is Lady Alvida. I have travelled far to ask for your knights' braveness, which is well-known all around the world. You see, the land I come from is being afflicted by a dragon. None of my men have succeeded in defeating him. You are our last hope! In exchange, I will offer my hand in marriage to the man who succeeds in vanquishing this monster."

The king plucked his moustache absent-mindedly, wondering briefly if he should stop having court days, because something like this always happened. If it weren't damsels in distress, it were green clothed knights demanding to be executed or flying chess sets (*). Shaking his head, he straightened. "Is there anyone who is willing to take upon himself this task?"

It had become very silent in the courtroom when the lady was speaking, now there a lot of murmuring sounded. It wasn't everyday they got a request to vanquish a dragon, after all.

A loud bang sounded when Sir Shanks jumped up so fast, his chair fell over. "I'll do it!" he exclaimed with a grin that told the king his seneschal wasn't thinking about the dragon and probably not using his brain at all. Next to the queen, he heard Sir Benn sighing, obviously thinking the same.

"You are very brave, Sir knight." Lady Alvida made another curtsy and blinked her eyes a little too often for Mihawk's taste.

His wife obviously sensed his hesitation to let his seneschal go, as she rose and said: "My lady, you are drenched. My maidens will tend to your every need and will provide you with dry clothes." At her beckoning, three damsels appeared.

"You are most kind, my queen." After a slight inclination of her head, Lady Alvida followed the maidens out of the courtroom.

As soon as the doors were closed again and everyone went back to their business, Mihawk sighed and leaned with his forehead on his hand. Next to him, Sir Shanks was still grinning like the idiot he was. Makino took her lord's free hand, a worried frown on her face.

"What's with the face?" the seneschal inquired. "She wanted a champion, here I am!"

"My lord, don't you think it would be better for you to stay here?" the queen asked. "After all, it is your task to rule the land in his Highness absence."

"What, you going somewhere?" Sir Shanks slapped his foster brother, the king, jovially on his back.

"Well, no… But in case something happens, to me, I need to know the castle is in good hands," Mihawk tried.

Sir Shanks looked at him sceptically. "You don't think I can do this, do you?"

"Of course we know that you can," the queen continued. "But we don't know how long this quest will take. Please, my lord, think about it."

The seneschal crossed his arms before his chest. "The way I see it, if I win, I get to marry a beautiful lady, with lots of lands probably. What do I get if I stay here?"

Mihawk's head perked up. "I'll grant you any boon (2) you wish for."

Shanks' eyebrow rose. "Anything?"

"Yes. Except for my wife, my kingdom and my sword," he was quick to add.

"In that case, _my lord_, I wish to go on this quest." (**)

The king's eyebrow twitched. He hated that smug smirk on his foster brother's face, like he was so smart. But there was nothing he could do about it, that would be breaking his word as king. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. Go. Do whatever you want."

Grinning, Sir Shanks rose. "Thank you. In that case, I will bid you goodnight. My lord, my lady." With an inclination of his head, the knight retired to his chambers.

Mihawk sighed deeply. Staring at the richly decorated ceiling, he said: "You will keep an eye on him, won't you?"

Sir Benn dabbed his lips with his napkin before he too rose. "You know I always do, Your Highness."

* * *

He knew the route to the other's chambers like the back of his hand, as it wasn't the first time Sir Shanks' big mouth had gotten him into trouble. After knocking on the door, Sir Benn waited until he was invited in. His friend was just drying his face, only dressed in a pair of trousers.

"Ah, Sir Benn, please come in," he said cheerful. "Are you here to wish me good luck?"

"Not exactly."

The smile fell from the red haired knight's face. "Oh. So His Majesty has sent you to talk me out of it? He just can't stand that I outsmarted him, so he's using you?"

"You mean abused his generosity," the king's cousin corrected him sharply.

Sir Shanks shrugged. "He set the terms. Though I feel a little insulted that he would think I had interest in my lady the queen. What kind of knight would I be?" (***)

Sir Benn took a seat on one of the chairs in the room. "Are you sure it is wise to go through with this?"

The other scowled at him. "What, you don't think I can do it? Or are you afraid that I will steal your spotlight, _my lord_?"

"This has nothing to do with honour or glory," Benn responded sighing. "You have an obligation to the king, which means you need to be here. You're his seneschal."

"This won't take long."

"You do realise you win the hand of Lady Alvida if you succeed, right?" Sir Benn decided on another approach. "That means marriage. Not just a one night thing."

Sir Shanks snorted. "And you would be the expert on that."

The dark haired man gritted his teeth. The seneschal had a point, Sir Benn had a reputation as a womaniser. Many damsels he had saved – or sisters, cousins or other female relatives from rescued knights – had offered their bodies in gratitude. But Shanks didn't know the reason why he accepted their offers, to distract himself from something else – and he would never know. "Still, it would conflict with your obligations towards the king," he said eventually. "You are the seneschal, but by marrying Lady Alvida, you'll become lord of her lands and have an obligation towards her subjects as well."

"So I should marry a poor wench without lands?" Shanks scoffed. "Give it up, my lord, I'm not going to change my mind."

Benn considered giving a direct order to stay, Shanks had a habit of listening to him, even if he ignored the king's orders. But he also knew his friend was stubborn and not going to back out of this one. So he sighed and rose from the chair. "It seems like I can say nothing to make you reconsider. Good luck on your quest. I bid you good night."

"Why don't you come with me?"

Sir Benn stopped in his tracks and turned around. Shanks stood with his hands on his hips, pushing his already in danger of dropping pants even lower – the dark haired knight cursed himself for noting that. "What?" he managed to say in his usual gruff voice.

"Come with me. You obviously don't think I can do it, so you can be my witness. I can hardly take Lady Alvida with me to watch, I may not be the ladies' man you are, but I know the knights' code."

Benn contemplated for a moment. It would be a good excuse to travel with Sir Shanks and help him out when necessary – and he had a feeling it would be necessary. Despite his regular trainings, as seneschal Shanks hardly even left the castle, only to escort the king and queen. He never went on quest like the other knights.

Finally, Sir Benn nodded. "Alright, prove me wrong. I'll see you at dawn."

With that, he left, smirking when he heard his friend's whining voice say: "But that's really early!"

* * *

The next morning, the seneschal, Sir Benn and Lady Alvida made themselves ready to leave. The former two took leave of the king and the queen, and all the others present. Many of the courtiers – most of them ladies – were weeping about Sir Benn's departure.

One last time King Mihawk tried to talk his seneschal out of his quest, but Shanks' mind was made up. The king sighed. "In that case, I have no other choice than to wish you good luck." He exchanged a look with Sir Benn.

The red haired knight inclined his head, before spurring his horse and following the damsel towards her lands. He had never seen a dragon, much less slain one, but he knew knights who had. Sir Benn, for instance, because, what adventure hadn't he had? The man was held in high regard and not just because he was the king's cousin. No, Benn was special. He was strong and brave – and very handsome, if you went by the maidens and damsels that tried to get his attention. Yes, he was the perfect knight in every way. It would be annoying if Benn hadn't been that nice as well. Sir Shanks was happy to call him a friend. A friend who gave unwanted advice and made him feel incompetent at times, that is. He cast a look over his shoulder to said knight, who was riding behind him and Lady Alvida. The man's face was impassive as ever. Sir Shanks huffed. That would soon change, once he had slain the dragon.

They rode until they reached Lady Alvida's castle, staying at other castles along the way. When they arrived at the lady's home, they were welcomed hospitably. Two squires led away their horses to tend to them and two others led Sir Shanks and Sir Benn to their separate chambers.

In the room, the boy knelt down and removed the knight's spurs, after which he disarmed him and removed his armour. He got some time to freshen up and rest before dinner would be served.

The knight let himself fall on the bed and yawned. Lady Alvida was pleasant company and her castle was nice as well. He could get used to this. Before he drifted off to sleep, he wondered what Benn was doing.

About an hour later, the knight was woken by a squire, who brought new clothes and helped him dress. After that, he was led to the dining hall. Sir Shanks took a seat and washed his hands in the water that was offered. (****)

Lady Alvida and Sir Benn joined him and they had a pleasant evening together. After dinner, they moved to the sit near the fire that heated the room. Alvida twirled around her wine in her goblet. "Tell me, my lords, is this slaying business really a two person job? I heard King Mihawk's knights were among the bravest and the strongest in the world."

"Ah no, my lady. I'm merely here as a spectator and witness," replied Sir Benn.

"Isn't that a little below your rank, Sir Knight? As Mihawk's best knight and the Father of Adventure (*****)."

He shrugged.

She rolled her eyes. "I will never understand men. So, Sir Shanks, when will you slay this dragon? It has terrorised my people long enough, don't you think?"

"Of course, my lady. I will leave first thing tomorrow." He bowed his head.

"Good." She rose. "Then I suggest you get some decent sleep. We wouldn't want you to be sleepy while trying to slay that monster, would we? Good night, my lords."

"Good night, my lady." The red haired knight watched her retreat as he sipped the last of his wine and wondered if married life would be like this. He hoped it included slaying dragons in the morning.

* * *

The next morning, they ate breakfast together, before Sir Shanks and Sir Benn made themselves ready to head out to the cave where the dragon lived. Lady Alvida chamberlain gave them a map so they would not get lost.

Taking leave of the lady of the castle, Sir Shanks kissed her hand and promised her to bring her the dragon's head. She brushed his words aside, stating that she would first want to see the proof.

Sir Benn also took leave of her, though a little more stiffly than he usually was around ladies. After that, they rode out together.

"So what do you think of Lady Alvida?" Sir Shanks asked him along the way. "She would make a fitting wife, wouldn't she?"

Benn was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure," he said eventually. "She seems somewhat… manipulative."

The red haired knight huffed. "You're just jealous I get to marry her." He spurred on his horse.

Sir Benn followed his friend with his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, _that's_ what I'm jealous about," he muttered.

They travelled through something that used to be a village. Now, there was little left than a few ruins, blackened by fire. Crows were pecking at remains of human and animal bodies. Sir Shanks looked at the scene disgusted. "You think that serpent did this?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," the dark haired knight responded. No matter how often he saw sceneries like this, he could never get used to it. Seeing what the monster was capable of, it didn't surprise him that Lady Alvida had come to them personally, begging for help.

For hours, they didn't see anything but burned houses and scorched fields with nothing growing on them. Aside from some scavengers and other animals, no life could be detected.

Soon, they reached the cave the dragon should be lurking at. The stone was, like the fields, blackened and bones of animals – and possibly humans – were scattered around. The knights stopped their horses and Sir Shanks looked at his companion. "D-do you think it's home?" he asked, swallowing.

Before the other could respond, a loud screech sounded high above them. Looking up, they saw the monster that resembled the descriptions Shanks had heard about dragons. The serpent started to descent, the wind coming off its enormous wings almost blowing the knights off their horses.

Sir Shanks got off his horse, taking his shield and spear in one hand and handing the reins to Sir Benn. "Watch from a safe distance," he said, never taking his eyes of the dragon that landed before them.

"My lord."

The red haired knight looked over his shoulder.

"Be careful."

His stubborn nature came back and he grinned, before closing the visor of his helmet. Then he focused again on the monster before him, aiming his spear carefully. He took a deep breath and attacked the beast. He knew he should aim for a soft spot on the dragon's stomach, but the way the serpent was lying now, he could not reach there. His spear bounced off the hard scales, as expected, but he had the dragon's attention. The beast sway its giant tail, hitting the knight in the chest and sending him tumbling backwards. His breath was knocked out of his lungs, but he managed to scramble to his feet again before he could be crushed. He ran towards the beast to pick up the spear and tried to aim for the dragon's mouth when it bit at him. He heard a warning cry from Benn only a second before the fire approached him, breathed from the monster's mouth. The knight protected himself as best as possible with his shield, but he felt the heat seeping through his armour.

He ducked away, trying to attack the monster from behind, but the giant tail found him again. Just in time he ducked away. The tail missed him, but hit the stone wall of the cave. A large part collapsed and Sir Shanks protected his head with his shield. His spear was half turned into charcoal by the dragon's fiery breath, so he threw the weapon away and drew his sword.

The beast turned around and tried to burn him again and he would have died that instant, hadn't his reflexes kicked in. He launched himself out of harm's way, but his helmet was knocked off his head and rolled out of his reach. His hand went up to his left eye, where three parallel scars ran. He had gotten them a long time ago, but the intense heat made them hurt again. Quickly getting back to his feet, he charged once more.

The dragon raised its claw and Sir Shanks used the opportunity to attack the vulnerable stomach, but he barely scratched it when the claw hit his right arm. The sharp nails cut through the metal like it was butter, wounding the flesh heavily. With a scream, Sir Shanks, dropped his sword. Blood streamed down, soaking the grass. He blinked to overcome the sudden wave of dizziness, courtesy of the blood loss, and managed to ward off another attack with his undamaged arm that still carried the shield. Maybe he was in over his head.

Suddenly, a large paw knocked him over, pinning him down to the blackened grass. The serpent loomed over him, ready to burn him alive as it took a deep breath. All Shanks could think was how this was the end. He got dizzy again, as the blood pooled around him. He wondered what Benn would think of him right now. Benn had always been there for him. He scolded him when he had gotten himself in trouble again, usually by his big mouth, but always got him out of trouble. He liked Benn. No, that wasn't right. He loved Sir Benn.

Content with that thought, he closed his eyes with a smile, waiting for the inevitable.

"Shanks!"

That voice… It sounded familiar. That was right, Sir Benn was here. To watch him slay a dragon. The dragon that had currently pinned him down. He scoffed at himself, immediately started to cough.

Something small landed next to him, within reach with his good arm. It was a dagger. Fleetingly, Shanks wondered where it came from, was it Benn's, despite the fact it wasn't a knightly weapon? Still, he grabbed it and stabbed the dragon in an last attempt to survive. Much to his surprise, the blade sunk into the large body without much effort. (*****)

The dragon screeched again, before collapsing while Shanks' blood mixed with that of the beast. The paw slipped off his chest, which was a good thing, he thought, or he would have been crushed. He closed his eyes again.

"Shanks!"

The voice sounded like it came from far away, yet he still felt a warm hand on his face. Forcing his eyes open, he saw the blurry outline of what should have been Sir Benn's face. "You saw that, m'lord? I just slew a dragon. And you thought I couldn't do it."

"Yes, you proved me wrong." The dark haired knight tried to smile, but worry was written all over his face. "Shanks, stay with me."

"It's Sir Shanks," he muttered.

"I'll call you whatever you like, just _stay awake_."

He could feel his armour being taken off and water flowed over his wounded arm, making him wince. It really hurt. "You can heal me, right?" he asked Benn. "You're the best healer I know." (******) He winced again when a piece of cloth was wrapped around his arm.

"I won't let you die. I promise."

Contently, Shanks smiled and closed his eyes. After all, he trusted his friend with his life.

* * *

Tiredly, Benn rubbed his eyes as he watched the seneschal sleep peacefully. He had done all he could, collecting healing herbs and rubbing a mixture of them carefully on the wound on his friend's arm. Sir Shanks had lost a lot of blood and Benn couldn't guarantee that he could ever use his arm again, but at least he was out of danger.

Suddenly, his friend started to stir and opened his eyes. "Were am I?" he asked hoarsely.

Benn moved over to sit next to him, gently pushing him down when the red haired knight tried to sit up. "I moved you to a cave. It's snowing outside again."

Sir Shanks nodded and closed his eyes. "I owe you my life," he said softly. "If you hadn't thrown that dagger, I would have been burned to a crisp."

"You would have done the same for me."

But Shanks shook his head. "You wouldn't have gotten into that situation." He sighed as Benn remained quiet. "Maybe I'm not cut out for quests like this."

"You won't have to do them anymore. You slew the dragon. If you hand Lady Alvida its head, you can marry her and live a peaceful life." It came out more bitter than he had meant to.

Sir Shanks seemed to notice, as suddenly his eyes flicked up. "You really don't like her, do you?"

"It's not that." Now it was his turn to sigh. "I'll just miss you."

The red haired knight snorted. "Why? All I do is get you into trouble."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Maybe I like being in trouble."

Shanks' eyes flicked up, green like emerald, and suddenly, Benn's willpower broke. All these years of lying to himself and denying his feelings had worn him out. He leaned over the patient and gently pressed his lips against the other's, only lightly, so even in his state, Shanks could push him away.

Only the push never came.

Feeling brave, Benn deepened the kiss and soon, he found Shanks' uninjured hand entangling with his hair.

* * *

It took the both of them to present the dragon's head to Lady Alvida. She sat on her throne, looking at them sceptically. Finally, she said: "Well, it seems like you kept to your end of the bargain, I suppose I should keep to mine."

"Actually," Shanks scratched the back of his head, "I changed my mind about that."

She narrowed her eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"It's nothing personal, I just have an obligation to King Mihawk. But if you insist on rewarding me, I would like a new horse…"

"You prefer a _horse_ over _me_?" the lady all but hissed.

Shanks seemed at loss for words, so Benn took that as his cue to step in. "Forgive my lord's awkward wording. He is, however, Lord Mihawk's seneschal and I doubt His Majesty would give him up without a fight. That being said, while Sir Shanks is competent at his job, I believe a lady such as yourself can do much, much better than him."

The anger seemed to drain from her and she sighed. "I don't suppose you are available, my lord?"

"I apologise, my lady, but there is already someone in my life."

She shrugged. "Very well. My squires will make sure you get everything you desire."

On their way back to the castle of King Mihawk, Sir Shanks was uncharacteristically quiet. When the other asked him what was wrong, he looked down at his injured arm, that rested in a sling around his neck. "You said Lady Alvida could do much, much better than me. Doesn't that mean you can too?"

Sir Benn was taken aback for a moment, but then started to laugh. "I guess it's true what they say."

"What?" The red haired knight looked at him confused.

The king's cousin flashed him a grin. "You are an idiot."

* * *

_(1) Seneschal: important officer in houses of nobles, also steward. The seneschal was in charge of domestic arrangements and the estate. Kai, the character Shanks is based on, although he is a knight, almost never leaves the castle. Exceptions from this are a few Middle Dutch stories, where Keye (Kai) leaves the court in search of adventure._

_(2) Boon: a gift, granted, in this case, by the king. When the king says you can ask for anything, like here, it is called a don contraignant, or a gift with unforeseen consequences. In only a few cases, the king limits the options by naming a few exceptions. One example is in the Welsh story Culhwch ac Olwen, where Arthur lists some items he doesn't want to lose, last of which is his wife._

_(*) Real events from Arthurian stories, respectively the Middle English _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_ and the Middle Dutch _Roman van Walewein_ (_Romance of Gawain_)._

_(**) This is an actual method used by Kai in _Le Chevallier de la Charrette_, or _Lancelot_, to get his way._

_(***) Lancelot, the famous knight, had an affair with Arthur's wife, queen Guinevere._

_(****) The washing of the hands and sometimes also face was very important before (and after) a meal. In _Roman van Walewein_, this washing ritual is mentioned ten times throughout the story, possibly for didactic purposes._

_(*****) Walewein's (Gawain) nickname in Middle Dutch literature._

_(******) This is the same method as by which Walewein slays the dragon in _Roman van Walewein_. The dagger wasn't part of the knightly weaponry._

_(*******) Gawain was well known for his knowledge about healing and herbs._


End file.
